Streaming is scary —

CBS joins with Amazon for in-season airing of new TV show

Under the Dome a first for the network.

Amazon has bought the rights to air a new CBS show via its Prime Instant Video service while the show also airs on TV, according to a joint press release from the two companies. Under the Dome, a sci-fi show based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, will air both on CBS and Prime Instant Video, with a four-day lag before the show is available on the latter platform.

Past seasons of some CBS shows are available as digital purchases in stores like iTunes, such as How I Met Your Mother. Under the Dome, a show about a town in New England that is unceremoniously placed under a giant dome, will be available for “unlimited streaming” by members of Amazon Prime at no additional cost, four days after episodes are broadcast. Amazon also notes that the episodes will be available on any platform for which there is an Amazon Instant Video app, such as iOS and Kindle devices, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii U.

The cost of an Amazon Prime membership ($79) is a bit steep just to get access to one unproven television show. But if the partnership proves comfortable for CBS, and possibly other television networks, the distribution method could prove a worthy competitor to ad-supported streaming from network websites or products like iTunes Season Passes to shows currently airing.

Casey Johnston
Casey Johnston is the former Culture Editor at Ars Technica, and now does the occasional freelance story. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Applied Physics. Twitter@caseyjohnston